Cover closure



M. GARBELL June 2, 1931.

COVER CLOSURE Filed Feb. 1, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 2, 1931. MfGARBELL 1,807,911

COVER CLOSURE Filed Feb. 1, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w/yw J??? Patented June 2, 1931 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE MAX GARBELL, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNon To VICTOR ADDING MACHINE 005M:- PANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A oonronarron or Rumors COVER cLosURE Application filed February 1, 1928.- Serial No. 251,028.

The present invention relates to an improved form of spring fastener that serves to replace the usual hinges on containers, and especially of containers employed'as carrying cases for portable typewriters, addingmachines or similar devices, in which it is decated on the cover or base, as the case may be,

' that, when the cover of the container providthe essential feature being the creation, by such engagement, of an element that performs the functions of a separable hinge, so

ed with the device of the present invention is tilted backwardly, it will automatically disengage the two parts forming the hinge so that the cover may be lifted off and stored separately from the base of the container.

Devices which do not have theres'ilient engaging means of the present inventlon, can

only be made to act as hinges when the projections engaging the slots or similar means for (Io-acting with hooks and the l ke on the container proper are carefully aligned and the cover then equally carefully swung down until the front lock or snap engages. This requires locking at the back of the base of the container, usually behind a typewriter or adding machineyand is not only awkward, but also slow and tedious, and in many cases improper adjustment of the component parts of such substitutes for hinges will lead to damage to the parts, or else the cover will not be held properly andcome off in carrying the device, thus injurying the typewr-iteror other machine attached to the base of the container.

,Thepresent invention avoids these difiicul ties by providing positive and simple means for forming what amountsin its function to ahinge on the interior wall of thebo'X-like container that is adapted to slip down over a machine mounted on a suitab1e-base,a1l of resting against the plate 9.

description and drawings of the present application.

As there are a number of equivalent ways of carrying out the present invention, some 1 of these ways have been illustratedupon'the drawings attached to and forming a part of the present application; and in thesefigures:

Figs. 1 and 4 are sectional elevational views of two exemplifications of the present mvention;

Figs. 2 and 5, respectively, are rear elevational views of the devices shown in'Figs. 1 and 4;

Figs. 3 and 6 are top plan views of the said devices; and

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show the operation of the devices when applied to a typewriter cover. Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 it will be seen that the rear wall 1 ofrthe case is provided with a pivotally mounted catch 2 having two projections 3 and 4 at the end thereof. This catch is pivoted at 6 to a projection 7 which is integral with and struck out from a plate 9 secured by a plurality of bolts or rivets 5 tothe rear wall 1 of the case, and the upper end 8 of said catch abuts against said plate 9. In order to insure the abutment of the end 8 of thesaid catch against the plate 9 thereis provided a fiat U -spring l0 spaced between the plate 9 and the said catch 2 and .in engagement with the rearwardly pointing projection l thereof. In its normal position, therefore, the rotatably mounted catch 2 will have its upper end 8 The base 14- of the case is provided near the rear end thereof with an angular bracket-11' fastened to the base by means of a bolt or bolts 12. The upward end of this angle-iron 11 is provided with aslot 13 capable .ofbeing engagedby which will become clear and evident by the H the projection 3 upon'thev catch 2 when the 7 over the base 14, the projection 3 will force the catch 2 baolrwardly in {the directionof the back 1, but as the slot 13 is rigid the fiat U-spring 10 will cause the projection 3 upon Ina the said catch to engage the slot 13 and thereby will lock the case against the base.

In Figs. 41, 5, and 6 a modification of this arrangement is shown in which the parts are virtually reversed, and in which the catch 2 is pivotally mounted upon a pivot 6 held by a suitable stand or angular bracket 19' attached to the base l l. An angular bracket 11 attached to the back of the case l by a suitable bolt or bolts 12 engages the projection 3 upon the upper end of the catch 2 when the cover is in position over the said base 1 1. In order to maintain the catch 2 in engagement with the angle-iron 11 a spring 10 is provided, which in this case consists of an ordinary tension spring which is attached to one end 15 of the catch 2. The other end of the spring is attached to a projection 18 on the angledron 19, this projection also serving to act as aback stop for the catch 2. Movement of the catch 2 in the other direcion is limited by a stop 18*. As will be noted from the drawings, Fig. 4, the catch 2 is practically, in outline and shape, equivalent to a bell-crank. In order 'to hold the said catch 2 in proper vertical alignment, the pivot 6 is held in an angular bracket 19 attached to the base 1-1 by a. bolt 17.

The operation of the devices herein shown is substantially like that and serves a similar purpose with the arrangement described in my eo-pending application Serial No. 251,027, filed February 1, 1928.

Figs. 7 8, and 9 show three positions of the case and base of the device shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 to illustrate the method of operation which is substantially as follows: In Fig. 7 the cover is shown in place upon the base. It will be seen that the projection 3 upon the catch 2 is in engagement'withthe projection 11 on the back wall of the case, being held in place at the front end by the conventional lock and catch 25 and 26 which are not a part of the present invention, and which serve to hold the forward end of the cover upon the base while the device of my present invention retains the rear end. In order to prevent the cover from being pushed off toward the rear (i. e., to the left as shown in Figs. 7,

8 and 9), a block or strip 30 may be inserted upon the base 14 although, of course, this could very well be a front edge or other part of the typewriter which is fastened to the base 14. V

Fig. 8 shows the method of releasing the device which comprises merely opening the lock and catch 25 and 26 and tilting the cover backwards, thus causing the disengagement of the projection 3 of the catch 2 from the slot 13 over which the cover obviously can be set aside as a unit. The parts 3 and 11 will disengage from each other as the cover rocks about a pivot formed by the back wall of the case where it abuts against the base, the part 11 moving in the path of the are at, having its center at b.

In Fig. 9, the method of replacing the cover is shown. This consists in merely dropping the cover vertically over the base 14 when the projection 3 will again engage the projection 11 and hold the cover in place.

It is believed that the illustrations and description herein clearly set forth the invention and thevarious modifications which may be made therein, but it should be distinctly understood that still further mechanical modifications may be made without departing from the scope and purpose of the present invention and that other means might be used, for example, to hold down the forward end of the cover;

It will be seen that I have provided a very simple and eificient means for retaining a box-like casing over a substantially fiat base and which casing may be used to house a typewriter, adding machine or other mechanical device, and which will allow of the latter being carried about and shipped while fully protected and without the danger of the cover being removed accidentally and which will yet permit of almost instantaneous removal of the casing so as to allow access to all parts of the said machine.

WVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a case for portable typewriters and the like consisting of a base and an inverted boxlike cover therefor, means for removably securing said cover over said base comprising separable parts respectively mounted on the rear portion of said base and on the inner face of-the rear wall of said cover, one of said parts comprising a latching member, a mounting member, a pivotal support for said latching member carried by said mounting member, and'a separate spring member coacting between said latching member and said mounting member, and the other of said parts comprising a rigidly mounted angleiron adapted to be engagedby said latching member.

2. Ina case for portable typewriters and the like consisting of a base and an inverted box-like cover therefor, means for removably securing said co-ver over said base compris ing a mounting member secured to the inner face of the rear wall of said cover, a pin carried by said mounting member, a latching member pivotally mounted on said pin, a spring coacting between said mounting member and said latching member to bias the latter forwardly, and an angular member having one leg secured to the upper surface ofsaid basenear the rear'edge thereof and having its other leg extending upwardly and slotted to receive said latching member.

3. In a case for portable typewriters and the like consisting of a base and an inverted box-like cover therefor, means for removably securing said coverover said base comprising a mounting member secured to the inner face of the rear Wall of said cover, a pin carried by said mounting member, a latching member pivotally mounted on said pin and having a latching portion extending downwardly therefrom, an inverted U-shaped spring coacting between said mounting member and said latching member to bias thelatching portion of the latter forwardly, and an angular member having one leg secured to the upper surface of said base near the rear edge thereof and having its other leg extending upwardly and slotted to receive said latching member.

4:. In a case for portable typewriters and the like consisting of a base and an inverted box-like cover therefor, means for removably securing said cover over said base comprising a mounting member secured to the inner face of the rear Wall of said cover, a pin carried by said mounting member, a latching member pivotally mounted on said pin and having a latching portion extending downwardly therefrom and a stop portion extending upwardlytherefrom, aninverted U-shaped spring coacting between said mounting member and said latching member to bias the latching portion of the latter forwardly and the stop portion thereof rearwardly against said mounting member, and an angular member having one leg secured to the upper surface of said base near the rear edge thereof and having its other leg extending upward ly and slotted to receive said latching member.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

' MAX GARBELL. 

